Amaey Mundkur
How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?
I fell backwards into beer. I ran out of money while living in Australia and starting home brewing so I could continue to enjoy beer as a 21-year-old. I made a lot of bad alcoholic ginger beer before I learned to brew proper beer. People started buying my homebrew that I made out of my dorm room on the 11th floor of Howitt Hall at Monash University. After I graduated, I didn't want to move to Christmas Island in the South Pacific to study predatory ants that feasted on the migrating red crabs.So I picked beer. Beer matters because it is art and love. It is an expression that is worthy of sharing. It matters to me because it engages with the very core of me, the scientist, the pedant, and the creative. Beer is about community — and as an immigrant from India (and the only Indian World Beer Cup beer judge — yes, out of almost two billion humans) who loves personal expression, it is where I belong.
Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?
I judge beer for a couple of reasons. It's extremely important to positively impact beer quality. I have been in this industry for almost twenty years and have made beer on four continents. In that time, beer has grown, changed, and become what it is today. It is important to give positive feedback to all those brewers who aspire to be great, and I hope I can be part of that journey. Judging at the World Beer Cup literally means the world to me. It is an affirmation of my achievements in the industry, as recognized by my peers who have kindly allowed me to judge with them, and to be part of an esteemed group of people that I can learn from. Hoarding information is selfish, while sharing it is selfless. And I hope to learn more.
What else would you like the world to know?
Besides beer, I love all the time I can spend with my wife and dog. I like hitting a little white ball around a large field (golf) and into a tiny hole. I love cooking and my family!
